The NSW Government has announced a new round of Dine & Discover vouchers are on the way.
This time, 500,000 NSW residents will get four $25 vouchers to use on dining and entertainment experiences in the Sydney CBD. The $50 million stimulus program dubbed “Thank God It’s Friday” is expected to kick off before summer as part of continued efforts to revitalise the economy and support businesses doing it tough in a post-2020 world.
Unlike the original Dine & Discover vouchers rolled out earlier this year (which expire on July 31), as the name suggests, these can only be used on Fridays.
“This will be a targeted program designed to get more people back into the heart of the greatest city on earth and on the way through spend a little extra on retail and services businesses,” said Treasurer Dominic Perrottet in a statement.
The announcement comes alongside a NSW Government planned seven-day party taking place across New Year’s Eve on the Cahill Expressway at the end of the year—also intended to help boost the CBD economy by drawing visitors to the city.
Short-term arrivals to NSW sat at just under 11,000 in April, marking an alarming 96% decrease on pre-pandemic averages of around 234,000 per month.
So, what do you need to know about these vouchers? Firstly, only businesses physically located inside the CBD’s 2000 postcode are eligible to receive them. Patrons will also have the option of using multiple vouchers at once, letting you combine them on a single meal or activity for up to $100.
Otherwise, you still need to be 18+ to receive the TGIF vouchers, and like last time, you can’t use them on alcohol, tobacco, or gambling. The vouchers will again be accessible through the Service NSW app, but you won’t need to go through the process of proving your identity again. Finally, non-digital options will be available if you don’t have access to a smartphone.
We’ll keep our ear to the ground and keep you posted as further details are released on how you can register interest, but we presume it’ll be a first-in-best-dressed scenario.
For now, get clued in on the OG Dine & Discover vouchers here.
Image credit: Eriksson Luo